Good morning,

The Lone Star State is going to be getting billions of dollars from the federal government as reimbursement for our border security spending. In today's One Click Survey, I want to know what you think should be done with that cash.

This is the Texas Minute for Monday, July 28, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Lawmakers Sign New Pledge To Ban Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying

• As Texas’ 30-day special legislative session enters its second week, a growing list of state lawmakers are announcing their commitment to banning taxpayer-funded lobbying. McKael Kirwin has the details.
     
• While State Rep. Briscoe Cain (R–Deer Park) was the first to announce his pledge, the Texas Public Policy Foundation says 22 other state representatives have done so as well.
     
• The Texas GOP has long expressed its opposition to taxpayer-funded lobbying, and it is currently one of the party’s legislative priorities. Polling data from 2019 and 2021 indicate that the majority of Texans across party lines support a ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying.
       
• Legislation addressing the issue has repeatedly passed out of the Senate, but has been killed in the House—as happened earlier this year.

State Rep. Capriglione Faces Allegations of Long-Term Affair, Abortion Payments

• Following a sudden announcement that he would not seek re-election, State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R-Southlake) is now facing explosive allegations of a long-term extramarital affair, paying for abortions, and expressing disturbing sexual fantasies. As Brandon Waltens reports, the lawmaker is pushing back—admitting to a past affair but calling the rest of the sordid allegations “categorically false and easily disproven.”
      
• The accusations were first published by Current Revolt, which featured an interview with Alex Grace, a former exotic dancer who says she met Capriglione when she was 18. She claims their relationship began around 2004 and lasted 17 years, during which time she alleges he paid for multiple abortions and shared sexually deviant fantasies.
     
• She said his hypocrisy, particularly regarding abortion, was a key reason she ended the relationship. Capriglione authored the 2021 “trigger law” that banned abortions in Texas following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
       
• Capriglione said the allegations are politically motivated and that he intends to pursue legal remedies. Meanwhile, State Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) has called for an investigation by the House General Investigating Committee and urged Capriglione to resign.

Trump Signs Executive Order to Protect College Sports

• Amid controversy over compensation practices for college athletes, President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at securing the future of college sports. Addie Hovland has the story.
      
• The order prohibits “third-party, pay-for-play payments to collegiate athletes,” requires colleges to preserve or expand athletic scholarships for women’s and non-revenue sports, and gives direction to federal agencies regarding enforcement of the order. All of this is in reaction to a recent settlement agreed to by the NCAA allowing universities to directly compensate student-athletes. Critics say this has encouraged an increase in student athlete transfers from small colleges and universities to larger ones that can afford to pay more.
     
• The president's order still allows for carefully designed and implemented revenue sharing between universities and athletes, provided it does not reduce opportunities in women’s and non-revenue sports. It also does not impact "Name, Image, and Likeness" compensation to students as long as it is for genuine, fair-market-value activity.
      
• "This is a huge step forward in preserving a great American institution." – Cody Campbell, Texas Tech University System Board of Regents

Houston Officials Consider Electric Scooter Crackdown

• With no current regulations in place, Houston’s rising electric scooter usage has prompted city officials to weigh new rules following a spike in nighttime crime and injuries. Michael Wilson reports that the city council's Quality of Life Committee is considering everything from regulations to an outright ban.

Three Vie for GOP Nomination for Texas Comptroller

• Ryan Dy-Liacco profiles the candidates seeking to be the GOP nominee in the race for comptroller.
       
• The comptroller’s office is the fiscal arm of Texas’ state government—it manages the State Treasury, collects and distributes taxes, oversees and reports on state spending, and disburses over $50 billion through its subsidiary, the Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust Company. It also manages key initiatives, including the Texas college savings plans, state grants, and other programs that utilize state funding—including the new Education Savings Accounts Program.
      
• The declared candidates for the office include Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock, Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick, and former state senator and gubernatorial candidate Don Huffines.

Quote-Unquote

"Whenever there is a proposal for a tax cut, media pundits demand to know how you are going to pay for it. But when there are proposals for more spending on social programs, those same pundits are strangely silent."

– Thomas Sowell​

One Click Survey

Included in the "One Big Beautiful Bill" recently passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump was money to reimburse the states for border security spending during the Biden administration. Some are suggesting the estimated $13 billion coming to Texas should be used exclusively for property tax relief.

What do you think?

Once you’ve clicked an answer, reply to this email with any thoughts you’d like to share!